Chemical Weapons Watchdog OPCW Welcomes Nobel Peace Prize Win

posted 11 Oct 2013, 08:14 by Mpelembe
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updated 11 Oct 2013, 08:15
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Global chemical weapons watchdog, the OPCW, is a "worthy" recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, a delegate says, as the U.N.-backed team continue working to eliminate chemical weapons stockpiles around the battlefields of Syria's civil war.

"The OPCW is worthy to get this prize. It means it did well in the past and it has great challenge in the future," said Chinese OPCW delegate Tang Cheng, who spoke to Reuters outside the OPCW headquarters in The Hague.

The relatively small organisation of 500 with a modest annual budget under $100 million dispatched its experts after a sarin gas attack in Syria killed more than 1,400 people in August. It is carrying out its work despite Syria's ongoing civil war.

The inspection and destruction of chemical weapons continues, with a team of 27 in the field, Assad forces and rebels press clash across the country with conventional weapons. Human Rights Watchsaid this week rebels had killed at least 190 civilians in Latakia province in August.

On Friday, Syrian government forces were trying to regain control of the area around the town ofSafira, about 20km southeast of Aleppo. The town, which is controlled by rebels including the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, is right next to a major suspected chemical weapons site.

The OPCW, which has 189 member states, said Syria was cooperating and it could eliminate its chemical weapons by mid-2014, provided they received support from all sides in its civil war.

Experts believe Syria has roughly 1,000 tonnes of sarin, mustard and VX nerve gas, some of it stored as bulk raw chemicals and some of it already loaded onto missiles, warheads or rockets.